British Rail Class 117
- - | fleetnumbers = | capacity = | operator = British Rail | depots = | lines = | carbody = | trainlength = | carlength = | width = | height = | floorheight = | platformheight = | entrylevelorstep = | doors = | art-sections = | maxspeed = | weight = Power cars: , Trailer cars: | acceleration = | deceleration = | traction = | engine = BUT (AEC) then BUT (Leyland), of , (both types), two per power car | poweroutput = per 3-car set | transmission = Mechanical | aux = | powersupply = | hvac = | electricsystem = | collectionmethod = | uicclass = | aarwheels = | bogies = | brakes = | safety = AWS | coupling = | multipleworking = ■ Blue Square | gauge = }} The British Rail Class 117 diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by Pressed Steel from 1959 to 1961. When first introduced, these three-car units were all based with the similar Class 121 single carriage (railcar) units on British Railway's Western Region for suburban work out of London Paddington and Cornwall. The units were largely based at Southall, and Plymouth Laira depots. The units remained here for many years working these services. Later operations In the 1980s, expiry of other DMUs facilitated moves for some units from the Western Region to Birmingham, as below, and Scotland, prior to the delivery of new units to replace them. They were given refurbishments. The first shake up in ownership occurred in the late 1980s, when the Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Birmingham based units were transferred to Provincial Services, later Regional Railways, in the sectorisation of British Rail, while the Southall-based units transferred to Network SouthEast. They were replaced on the lines out of Paddington when the Class 165 'Network Turbo' units came into service in 1990-91. They soldiered on in the former Western Region until replaced by Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs by 1995. They continued to work in Scotland until 1998, where they were replaced with additional cascades of Class 156s and Class 170 Turbostar DMUs. For many years, passenger services on the Birmingham Cross-City Line were worked by elderly Class 117, along with Class 115, 116, 118 and 121 diesel multiple units, but all were withdrawn from service by 1995 and replaced by Class 323s. In 2000, Class 150 Sprinter units replaced the Class 117 units on Silverlink following deliveries of Turbostar, finally bringing to an end decades of service on Britain's rail network in front line service. Once in preservation it has since been discovered that the units had all sorts of Leyland 680 engine variants. . For example, one unit was noted as having a Leyland 680/1 (150 BHP) and a Leyland 680-1595 (180 BHP) . Gallery Image:1 CLASS 117 DMU.JPG|A Rail Blue and Grey liveried three car Class 117 DMU at Peterborough Nene Valley railway station on the preserved, heritage Nene Valley Railway. Image:3 CLASS 117 DMU TCO Vehicle.JPG|The unpowered centre TCL vehicle from a Class 117 DMU. Image:4 Class 117 DMU TCO NSE First Class Interior.JPG|The interior of the mid 1980s refurbished First Class cabin, in Network SouthEast moquette, aboard a three car Class 117 DMU. Image:6 CLASS 117 DMU DMSO NSE Standard Class Interior.JPG|The interior of the mid 1980s refurbished Standard Class accommodation, in Network SouthEast moquette, aboard a three car Class 117 DMU. Preservation Due to the type's longevity, 12 units have been preserved on heritage railways. References *The Railcar Association *Motive Power Recognition: 3 DMUs. Colin J. Marsden *British Railway Pictorial: First Generation DMUs. Kevin Robertson *British Rail Fleet Survey 8: Diesel Multiple Units- The First Generation. Brian Haresnape *A Pictorial Record of British Railways Diesel Multiple Units. Brian Golding 117 Category:Pressed Steel Company multiple units